The Renewable Fuel Standard that boosted ethanol use has fallen out of favor so badly that environmentalists now see themselves on the same side of the debate as Republicans such as Sen. Ted Cruz, arguing that the entire program is deeply flawed and must be completely overhauled.

Key senators left a White House meeting Tuesday with no concrete resolution on the future of federal ethanol policy, but critics of the Renewable Fuel Standard suggested that they are slowly pulling President Trump to a deal that will benefit the oil industry.

A German court poured a bucket of cold water on Europe's long love affair with diesel power Tuesday, clearing the way for cities in the country that invented diesel technology to ban older, dirtier cars from their urban cores, and perhaps eventually from across the Continent.

Key senators left a White House meeting Tuesday with no concrete resolution on the future of federal ethanol policy, but critics of the Renewable Fuel Standard suggested they're slowly pulling President Trump to their side and expect to reach a deal that benefits their allies in the oil industry in the coming weeks. "We made real progress, and, with the president's leadership, I believe we are close to solving the problem," said Sen. Ted Cruz, Texas Republican.

The White House's top economist Thursday pushed back against President Trump's idea of raising the federal gasoline tax to help pay for a $1.5 trillion infrastructure plan, calling the levy an outdated approach.

Even as they're locked in a bitter, high-stakes battle over the federal Renewable Fuel Standard, the ethanol and oil industries each say they need to put aside differences and work together to prepare for an existential threat to both of their futures: electric cars.

As France, Germany and Italy chastised President Trump for rejecting the Paris climate accord in June and mocked the U.S. for turning its back on the environment, their nations were busy importing record amounts of American coal.

Sen. Ted Cruz on Wednesday will travel to Philadelphia for a battle in his war against the ethanol industry, meeting with workers at an oil refinery that says it faces financial ruin due to the federal biofuels mandate.

President Trump endorsed a 25-cent gas tax hike to pay for an ambitious infrastructure plan at a White House meeting with senior administration officials and lawmakers both parties, according to a report by Axios.

With their industry under increasing attack, ethanol leaders on Tuesday appealed directly to President Trump and cast him as an unwavering ally who will stand up for their interests in Washington, even as key administration officials examine regulatory changes that could hurt the biofuels sector.

A renewed war over the federal ethanol mandate has cast a cloud over the biofuels industry as it gathers this week for its annual convention, with critics charging that the sector and its champions in Washington are slowly crushing oil refiners, which say they are struggling to comply with the law.

SAN ANTONIO | As ethanol leaders meet here in the heart of his home turf, Sen. Ted Cruz has emerged as Washington's leading critic of the industry, holding up federal nominees over his opposition to the national biofuels mandate, lambasting the sector in fiery Senate floor speeches, and leading a coalition of oil-friendly lawmakers to the Oval Office in hopes of weakening the Renewable Fuel Standard.